DURHAM, N.H. – Tied midway through the third period, a New Hampshire power play goal kicked off a three-goal final stretch as the No. 19 Miami hockey team fell 4-1 on Saturday night.
This marks the RedHawks' (9-6-1) first winless weekend of the season.
After both teams played pretty close to the vest in the first few minutes, New Hampshire (2-6-4) got the first offensive opportunity when it went on the power play with 3:59 gone by. However, it was Miami that had the bulk of the opportunities down a man, the best coming when
Karch Bachman raced up ice and came in on a breakaway that Mike Robinson stopped.
Following the penalty kill, the Red & White got a power play of their own with 6:40 expired off the clock and they worked the puck down low twice with
Jonathan Gruden and
Ryan Siroky getting close range opportunities that Robinson shrugged off to keep the contest scoreless.
A transition opportunity paid off for Miami when
Gordie Green intercepted a pass in his zone, raced up ice before gaining the zone and getting it to
Jonathan Gruden, who got the puck to a late rushing
Josh Melnick, who beat Robinson cleanly to make it a 1-0 contest with 9:28 to go in the opening frame.
The RedHawks jumped out to a 10-1 shots on goal advantage in grabbing the lead, but the Wildcats began to exert some pressure on
Jordan Uhelski at the other end. The senior was up to the task, making one big rebound stop on Brendan van Riemsdyk to keep the lead intact.
The Wildcats tied things up on the power play when Liam Blackburn got fed alone in front and he roofed a backhand with 5:21 to go in the opening frame. UNH got another man advantage with 2:08 left until the break, but MU killed that one off and drew a penalty of its own in the waning seconds of the frame. That power play didn't have a chance to go to work before the horn as the teams remained tied at intermission.
Similar to the first period, Miami raced out to a hot start in terms of offensive pressure and scoring chances. The RedHawks fired the first six shots on goal thanks to a carry over power play, but Robinson turned each aside. Entering the latter stages of the second, shots favored MU 21-11, but an offensive zone penalty allowed UNH to go on the attack. New Hampshire ended up registering the final 10 shots on goal of the frame, but Uhelski was just as sharp and the 1-1 tie wore on into the third.
Neither team was able to create much offense for long stretches of the third period, although Uhelski was sharp in making a big stop on Blackburn when he got open in the slot off a turnover, leaving the score tied.
It appeared Miami would get a chance to take control when it got a power play with 11:59 left, but it struggled possessing the puck and the opportunity came and went. MU took a minor of its own shortly thereafter and UNH capitalized when Patrick Grosso cashed in a rebound in front with 8:55 remaining.
The RedHawks put together a couple of extended shifts in the offensive zone, but Robinson kept them at bay. Eventually, the puck was worked up ice to Marcus Vela, who drove the net and scored from the right wing with 6:11 to go. That play ended with Vela taking a penalty crashing into Uhelski, but again the power play came and went without incident.
Trailing by two, MU pulled Uhelski for a sixth skater with 3:51 remaining, but that comeback bid was quickly quieted with a Max Gildon empty net goal at the 16:37 mark to cap the scoring.
Miami outshot New Hampshire 34-28, but went 0-for-5 on the power play while UNH finished 2-for-5 on the man advantage. Uhelski made 24 saves while Robinson finished with 33 stops.
The RedHawks jump back into National Collegiate Hockey Conference play next weekend when they host first-place and No. 1 St. Cloud State. Friday's series opener begins at 7:35 p.m.
